Inside the PD: Bethel's Clark commits to Coastal Carolina

Bethel S Nick Clark

When he was elevated to Bethel’s varsity roster as a 10th grader, Nick Clark was called into then-coach Jeff Nelson’s office. Nelson wanted to make sure the kid understood that he deserved to be there.

“He told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to be great,’” Clark remembered. “And he told me I had the potential to get a college scholarship.”

He has one. On Tuesday morning, Clark gave his commitment to Coastal Carolina, whose season just ended with a loss to Old Dominion in the second round of the FCS playoffs. He was recruited as a free safety.

“I like the family atmosphere at Coastal Carolina, and the coaching staff are all great people,” Clark said. “I like the direction the program is going. They’re big on making people better.”

Bethel coach Bubba Hooker believes Coastal got a good one, both on the field and in the classroom.

“He’s one of our 24 players who were recognized for having a 3.0 grade-point average or better,” Hooker said. “And what everybody liked about him was that he’s a contact player and supports the (run) well.”

Clark, a first-team All-Peninsula District pick, also was offered by Morgan State. He received interest from Delaware and Norfolk State.

Clark is the third member of his family to play college football. Terry, his oldest brother, just finished his career as a receiver at Randolph-Macon. Stephen is a sophomore receiver at Delaware.